Insulator supported adjustable bus clamp



Fel 11, 1947- l. F. MATTHYssE 24,415,649

INsULAToR SUPPORTD ADJUSTABLE Bus CLAMP Firled'Aug. 12, 1942 ssheets-sheet -2 .50 Fari. 56 15M 4'/ 56.

lFeb. 11, 1947.

l. F. MATTHYssE 2,415,649

.INH V 70 l f/ I 65 15a; I ,A

m l, '1, n l 65 frz/L@ jizz/gaie Patented Feb. 11, '1947 IN SULATOR.SUPPORTEDy DJUSTABLEv BUS CLAMP' Irving Frederick Matthysse, New York,N. Y., as-

signor to Burndy Engineering Company, Inc., a corporation of New YorkApplication August 12, 1942,. Serial No. 454,621

Claims. l vThis invention relates to improvements in bus `support-clampsfor supporting electrical conductors, and more especially, bus supportclamps for fla-t electrical conductors designed to be mounted on aninsulator support.

Flat bar conductors are generally used either singly or in multiple andmounted with their wide faces in a vertical plane. For example, apopular sizeof flat bar is 1A, thick by 4 wide and it is frequently usedeither singly or in multiples of 2, 3 or 4 with the wide faces parallelto each other and 1A apart. The group of iiat bars are generally mountedon the conventional insulator and the usual position of the barsrelative to the insulator provides for the bars crossing the top or capof the insulator with the longitudinal centerlines of theV bars andinsulator mutually perpendicular. The Wide faces of the bars aregenerally parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the'insulator.

It is a distinct advantage to provide a support clamp that may beadjusted to take a wide range in the number and thickness of the flatbars Without change of parts. It is one object of this invention toprovide such an adjustable feature.

Another object of this invention is to provide a bus support clamp whichwill permit of lateral adjustment of the bus with respect to theinsulator. This is advantageous when the centerlines of a row ofinsulators on which the bus is to be mounted are slightly out of line.

Other objects are to provide a bus support clamp having transverse railsto permit the clamping elements to be adjustably positioned thereon; toprovide adjustable clamping elements which project a minimum distancebeyond the walls of the clamping elements; and to provide angular aswell as transverse adjustments of the clamping elements.

I accomplish these and other objects and obtain my new results as willbe apparentfrom the devices described in the following specification,particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a partially sectioned top View of one form of my device.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same..

Fig. 3 is a partially sectioned end view.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the clamping plates.

Fig. 5 is a partially sectioned top view of a modification thereof.

Fig. 6 is a partially sectioned side view oi the same.

Fig. 7 is an endview.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the clampingy plates of mymodification. Fig. 9 is a partially sectioned top view o1'l anothermodication.

Fig. 1-0 is a partially sectioned side view of the same.

Fig. 1.1V is an end view.

Fig. 12` is a perspective view of one of the clamping plates thereof.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 9 in Fig.2- indicates the top or cap of an insulator upon which my clampingdevice is normally mounted. The bus-clamping device, in the form shownin Figs. 1 to 4, consists primarily in the base element I0, and twolateral clamping elements 20, all held together by various bolts, aswill be hereinafter described.

The circular base element II) is provided with four angularlyl elongatedapertures I3, through which` are inserted the insulator bolts I4,provided with` heads I5.. which lock` the base IIl to the insulator cap"9. The elongated apertures I3 enable the clamping elements to berotated on the insulator cap to obtain proper alignment thereof.

The base I0 is also provided with a transversely extending rail` sectionI6 formed integrally therewith, which is hollowed at each end thereof asat I`I, to allow the bolts I8 to project therethrough. The` base ishollowed as at I9 to reduce its Weight.

The clamping elements 20, shown' in perspective in Fig. 4` are two innumber, and identically formed. One face 2| is flat for applyingpressure to the bus-bars 22 and the intermediate spacers 22a, and theother face 23 is rounded to give additional strength. Four extendingears 24 are provided with apertures 25 for insertion of the bolts II,which lock the two clamping plates 2l) together about the bus-bars bymeans of nuts I2. A-t the base of the clamping plates, a channel 26outwardly extends, which rides the rail section I6 of the base memberI0. A slot 21 is formed in the upper side of the channel 26, to providefor the insertion of the bolt I8, which locks the channel to the baserail section by means of the nut 28. The clamping plates 20 are hollowedoutI as at 29 to reduce the weight thereof.

This embodiment of my' device is characterized by the employment of baserails which cause the clamping plates to be maintained in parallelposition, yet transversely adjustable to accommodate varying sizesy andnumbers of bus-bars and intermediate spacers.

In Figs. 5 to 8, I have shownY a. modified form of my device. Referencenumeral 4I) designates the base section, and 50 the clamping members.The base section 40 containsv four angularly elongated apertures 4I,.through which are inserted the insulator bolts I4, provided with headsI5 for locking the base II0` to the insulator cap 9. The base 40 isprovided with two longitudinally extending sections 42, each havingtransversely elongated apertures 43. The underside of the lextendingwith a. flxedly positioned cap or plate member,

said bus 'support comprising a movable upper yplate member angularlyadjustable with respect y to the fixed plate member of the insulator andin Each member is provided at its four corners withLJzextending ears 53,each ear apertured as at 54 to receive the bolts 55 which lockthe twoclamping members to each other by their corresponding nuts v56. One earadjacent the lower portion is provided with a base extension 51 whichterminates in an inwardly extending right angle lug 58, perforated at 59to accommodate the bolt 44 of 'the base section.

Each clamping member has its inwardly extending right angle lug lockedto the base member by means of nut 45 threaded to base bolt 44.

The transversely elongated apertures 43 in the base member 40 permit thetwo clamping members to be spaced to satisfactorily accommodate theproper number and thickness of bus-bars and intermediate spacers 46 and41 respectively.

This modication thus discloses means for the angular adjustment of thebase section, and the transverse adjustment of the clamping members. Inaddition, there is provided transverse adjusting means which does notextend beyond the curved outer walls of the clamping members, thusreducing the lateral dimensional requirements, Where compactness isimportant.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9 to 12, the clamping members areeach provided with two supporting inwardly extending legs, where greaterstructural strength is necessary. Here the base member 60 is attached tothe insulator cap 9a by insulator bolts 14a through angularly elongatedapertures 6I and locked thereto by nuts 15a. The longitudinallyextending base portions 62 are each provided with a pair of inwardlyextending elongated apertures 63 for the base bolts 64.

The clamping members 10, two in number, are each provided with flat; andround sides, 1l and 12 respectively, and corner ears 13, apertured as at14 to receive the clamping bolts 18 locked to- 1 gether by nuts 19. Thelower ears have extensions 15 with inwardly extending right angle lugsl16 apertured at 11 for receiving the base bolts 64, which are lockedthereto by nuts 65.

By the foregoing constructions, I have in each instance retained theangularly adjustable base member, and the transversely Vadjustableclamping members. In addition, I have disclosed means for providing thelateral adjustments having the necessary structural strength withminimum dimensional space requirements.

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that itis not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, thesame being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carriedout in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention,and,

therefore, I claim broadly the right'to employ allv equivalentinstrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claims, and bymeans of which, objects of my invention are attained, and new resultsaccomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments hereinshown and described are only some of the many that can be employed toattain these objects and accomplish these results.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. An adjustable bus support for adjustably supporting a bus barto aninsulatorprovided plate member of the bus support to the fixed platemember of the insulator in the desired position; and transverselymovable clamping members mounted on said movable upper plate member forsceuring a bus bar thereto, said movable plate member and movableclamping members provided with transversely positioned guide means andlocking means for locking the clamping members to the movable platemember in any desired position thereon.

2. The bus support of claim 1 wherein the transversely `positioned guidemeans comprise parallel mounted rails forming a part of the uppermovable plate, upon vwhich rails, channel members, forming a part of themovable clamping members are mountedfor maintaining the movement of theclamping members.

3..The bus support of claim l, wherein the upper movable plate member isprovided with arcuate slots and bolt means'are positioned in the slotsfor locking the upper movable plate member to the fixedly positionedplate of the insulator in any desired angular position withrespectthereto.

4. The bus support of claim l, wherein the upper movable plate member isprovided with arcuate slots, and transversely extending parallel slot-s;and bolt means, for securing the upper movable plate member to the xedlypositioned plate of the insulator through the arcuate slots, and forsecuring themovable clamping members to the` upper movable platememberthrough the transversely extendingparallel slots.

5. The bus support of claim 1, wherein the movable clamping members areeach provided with a face for clamping the bus bar thereagainst and eachof the clamping members terminate in a single supporting lug having aninwardly extending lug :section for support on the movable upper platemember, said lug having an aperture there; and bolt means for lockingthe lug section to the movable upper plate member.

IRV'ING FREDERICK MATTHYSSE.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,734,537Steinmayer Nov. 5, 1929 1,876,578 Austin Sept. 13, 1932 1,740,642 AustinDec. 24, 1929 1,876,579 Austin Sept. 13, 1932 1,769,891 Steinmayer Julyl, 1930 1,715,478 Steinmayer June 4, 1929 1,686,993 Suter Oct. 2, 19281,831,798 Alsaker Nov. 17, 1931 2,222,810 Daily Nov. 2'6, 1940 1,228,142Sessions May 29, 1917 1,069,937 Goehst et a1 Aug. 12, 1913 1,979,990Aisaker Oct. 30, 1934 1,724,887 Schramm Aug. 13, 1929 1,602,873 AnsinghOct. V12', 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date r158,551 French Nov.3, 1933 808,559

VFrench Nov. 14, 1936 contact therewith; means for locking the movable

